Dish cover



Sept. 11, 1934. B. A. SCHROEDER DISH COVER Filed Dec. 21, 1933 Patented Sept. 11, 1934 DISH COVER Bernard A. Schroeder, Evanston, 111., assignor to The Thermo Service Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application December 21, 1933, Serial No. 703,456

2 Claims.

This invention relates particularly to a device for separating and protecting a plurality of food laden plates arranged in a vertical stack. When serving a number of people, the food is frequently placed on dishes in the kitchen and the plates then brought to the table by a waiter. Many devices have been designed and used to enable the waiter to carry a large number of plates in one trip and at the same time to keep the food as hot as possible during that time.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple device which is easy to manufacture and which will form a better contact with a superposed plate than has heretofore been obtained. It has been proposed to provide the contacting flanges of a dish cover with rubber rings or stops to lessen the danger of the plates shifting on the device but such expedients are objectionable inasmuch as the rubber deteriorates and it is diflicult to keep the device clean and sanitary. When rubber pads or stops have been used, the plate did not seat closely and the resulting space permits air to circulate and cool the food.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flange which not only forms a snug seat for the plate but also forms an annular abutment adapted to be engaged by the outer edge of the base ring of a plate or dish to prevent lateral shifting thereof. Thus it will be understood that the plate is supported at its flange portion and positioned by its base ring.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a preferred form of the device showing a plate resting thereon; and Fig. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view of a modification of the same.

In the preferred form, the device consists of a tapered body or collar 5, preferably of aluminum, whose lower end portion is provided with an outwardly extending annular base flange 6 which is adapted to rest upon the rim portion 7 I of a dinner plate 8. The base flange 6 is provided with a second annular flange 9 which projects downwardly and is adapted to slip over the rim portion of the plate. Preferably, the flange 9 is of double thickness as indicated at I 10.

The upper portion of the body 5 is provided with an inwardly and downwardly directed frustro-conical flange 11 of special design for carrying out the pr ncipal objects of the present invention. It is well known that dinner plates and dishes employed in this type of service are usually provided with a base ring 12 from which the upwardly and outwardly directed frustro-conical plate flange 13 rises. By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the flange 11 has the same degree of inclination as the plate flange 13 so that a substantial band on the plate flange is engaged by the suppor ing flange 11. The inner portion 14 of the flange 11 serves as an annular abutment for the base ring 12 so that the plate can not shift laterally. lhus, it will be seen that the plate does not rest on its ring 12, which. merely prevents lateral displacement, but that the support is farther removed from the center of gravity of the plate than would otherwise be the case. t will be understood that by the flange 6 engaging the rim '7 of an underlying plate, and the flange 11 snugly engaging the superposed plate, a substantially air-tight compartment is provided.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 2, a body member 15 is provided with a supporting base flange 16 having a downwardly projecting ring 17 which is adapted to rest upon the rim portion 18 of a plate 19, in the same manner as described above. The plate 19 has the usual base ring 20. However, the inwardly and downwardly projecting flange 21, at the top of the body member 15, is provided with a series of annular inwardly and downwardly directed horizontal steps 22 and 23. The riser or vertical portion of the steps 21 22 and 23*, respectively, serve as lateral abutments for the base ring of a plate. It will be noted that the weight of the plate is carried by the flange 21 and the plate does not rest on its base ring.

The stepped construction adapts the device for use in connection with plates of various designs. If desired, a small plate or saucer (not shown) may be inserted, upside down, in one of the seats formed by the steps in order to complete a cover for the top plate.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A plate cover consisting of a irustroconical body portion, an outwardly turned base flange integral with the lower margin of the body portion, a downwardly turned flange in which said base flange terminates at its outer margin, said downwardly turned flange adapted to surround the rim of the plate upon which the cover is supported by the base flange, an integral frustro-conical top flange of tial width in which the body portion terminates fit within the downwardly turned flange at the lower end of the cover.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the inner portion of the top flange is provided with a plurality of annular inwardly and downwardly directed steps connected by vertical risers.

BERNARD A SCHRIOEDER.

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